Folding armchair



Slept. 15, 1953 J LEE FOLDING ARMCHAIR Filed March 28, 1950 'Xin/enfer @fixez Zee,

fifa/Wea Patented Sept. 15, 1953 OFFICE- FOLDING ARMCHAIR yJim Lee, NewYork, N. Y.

Application March 28, 1950, Serial No. 152,427v

4 Claims.

This invention relates to foldable armchairs.

The invention is more particularly concerned with foldable chairs including several elongated pivotally connected members together with means for holding such members in chair-forming position, and which means are readily releasable for compact folding of the members about their pivots, such as is disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 750,906, filed May 28, 1947, which has matured into Patent No. 2,507,023, dated yMay 9, 1950, and of which the present application is a continuation in part.

The present invention relates more particularly to a construction cooperatively associated with two laterally spaced pairs of leg members in a, chair of the character above referred to, and wherein the leg members of each pair are disposed in intersecting relation vand pivotally connected at the intersections, and a primary object is to provide a novel construction operative to hold the leg members in distended operative position while allowing same to closely approach each other in the folding of the chair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat swingably supported by two companion leg members of the two pairs thereof, and which, in operative position, rests upon the said construction and has an interlocking connection therewith whereby the seat is rmly supported and the leg member structure rendered more rigid by the said interlocking connection.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a preferred form of foldable chair with which the present invention is operatively associated.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the chair with the upper portion of the back broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the chair in its folded or collapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view in the plane of line 4-4 on Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the chair is shown as comprising two laterally spaced pairs of leg members I and II which, as shown in Fig. l, are disposed in intersecting relation and are pivotally connected at I2. For the purpose of later description, the leg members I0 Will be termed outer leg members while the leg members II will be termed inner leg members.

The rear ends of the outer leg members I0 are pivotally connected at I3 to the lower ends of upright back frame members I4. A pair of laterally `spaced arm rests I5 having laterally extending shelves I6 are disposed substantially above the leg members I0 and II, and each such arm rest is pivotally connected at its rear end, as at Il, to a corresponding back frame member I4 at a point substantially above the correspending pivotal connection I3.

The front ends of the arm rests I5 are pivotally connected at I8 to the upper ends of laterally v disposed uprights I9 whose lower ends extend substantially below the front ends of the inner legs II, and the front ends of legs II are pivotally connected to the uprights, as at 20.

The chair embodies a foot rest '2| which, at its upper edge, is provided with a pair of hinge plates 22 and which are pivotally connected to the legs II at said pivotal connections 28.

The chair further comprises a seat 23, means 24 cooperatively associated with the pivotally connected legs I 0 and I I for maintaining same in distended operative position as well as for permitting folding thereof, latches 25 for releasably retaining the uprights I9 in vertical position or for permitting a reclining position of the chair, and latch means 2B for releasably holding the foot rest in parallelism with the uprights.

The chair further includes a sheet of fabric 2'I whose opposite ends are secured to anchor rods 23 and 29, the fabric sheet providing a comfortable back and body rest for an occupant of the chair.

The chair structure as above described is disclosed in my `cao-pending application above referred to, and the present invention relates to the seat 23 and the leg-retaining means 24 which are generally, but not specifically, disclosed in said co-pending application.

The chair is adapted for compact folding to the position shown in Fig. 3, and to condition the chair of Fig. 1 for such folding it is only necessary that latches 25 and the leg-retaining means 24 be thrown to inoperative position, and it is the means 24 together with the cooperating seat 23 with which the present invention is particularly concerned.

The improved means 24 comprises a frame member including a cross bar 30 which is rectangular in cross-section and whose opposite ends are pivotally connected at 3| to the inner legs I I. The frame further includes a pair of bars 32 rigid with and depending from the bar 30, and bars 32 are rigidly connected by a brace bar 33, which is parallel with bar 30. The lower ends of bars 32 are provided with right-angular recesses 34 for normally receiving the upper edge portion of a bar 35, which is rectangular in crosssection and which interconnects the outer legs l0. A pair of suitable latches 36 are provided for retaining the bars 32 in seating engagement with the bar 35. The seat 23 includes a top seat portion 31 with which the fabric sheet 21 is engaged, and such seat portion is pivotally connected to the inner legs as at 38. The seat further includes side wall portions 39 which are provided in: their lower edges with right-angular recesses 40 for receiving the cross bar 30.

With this arrangement, the engagement of the seat with the pivoted cross bar 30 substantially rigidies the structure, and when it isf desired; to fold the chair to the position of Fig. 3, the latches 38 are released, the seat raised to the dot-and-dash line position in Fig.. 1, whereupon the frame (including bars 32 and 33) can readily be pivoted to a position between the innerl legs Il. With the frame in the folded position, the recesses. 411` in the seat side walls 39 will receive the cross. bar 30",. as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the folded chair is of maximum compa-ctn'ess.

lit. will be appreciated from the above disclosure that the' frame member constituted by bars. 38,32V and 33 provides a substantial weight support when the bars 32 are operativelyv seated on the bar' 35, and` due tothe intertting connection between the frame: and the seat, the seat is hrmlyvv supported while the frame is. locked against rotation, thereby substantially.vv reinforcingV the pivotedleg member construction.

While Ihave` disclosed the invention in accordance with a singlespecic structural` embodiment thereof', such is to be considered as illustrative only,. and not restrictive,v the scope of they inven tion being defined in the following claims.

What I clairn-y and' desire to secure by U.. S. Letters Patent is;

1*. In. a foldabl'e: chair including two pairs of intersecting pivotally connected legs with each comprising an. inner and an outer leg; a fram-e: member pivotally connected to the inner legsa and'. having a. detachable: connection with the outer legs, and a seat pivotally connected with the inner legs and supportable on the frame member adjacent its pivotal connection.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said seat is provided with right-angular recesses in which a right-angular portion of the frame member is engageable.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said frame member comprises a bar pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the inner legs, a pair of laterally spaced bars rigid with and depending from said rst bar, a reinforcing bar interconnecting the pair of bars, a bar supported by the outer legs, and recesses in the lower ends of said pair of bars for receiving a portion of the bar supported by the outer legs.

4. In. a foldable chair including two pairs of intersecting pivotally connected legs with each. pair comprising an inner leg and an outer leg; a bar rectangular in cross-section extending between. the inner legs' in spaced relation to their pivotal connections and having its opposite ends pivotally connected thereto, a bar extending be'- tween the outer legs, a: pair of bars: rigid with and depending fromv the rst bar' and having an interlocking engagement with the last bar, and a seat generally rectangular in plan including a.v top portion pivotally connected at one edge:

thereof to the inner legs, and side walls depending from the top portion and.' having' right-anguiar` recesses in their lower edges for receiving saidfirst bar.

JIM LEE..

References Gited in: thefileV of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 467,340 Chichester Jan. 19 1892 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 252,645 Italy Mar. 30,1927 

